Rural Development Support: Hünfeld also benefits from initiatives in Hessen
The Hessian Ministry of Home Affairs has announced the commencement of a six-and-a-half-year funding program for village development, spanning from 2025 to 2031. The program aims to actively shape and improve the quality of home regions, with a focus on supporting small municipalities.
The program offers numerous funding opportunities, including renovating community centers, redesigning village squares, renovating outdoor pools, creating housing through private builders, and infrastructure improvements. Each project must be sustainable, socially beneficial, and aligned with broader municipal and regional development plans.
To be eligible for funding, municipalities must be officially recognized for village development, demonstrate active involvement of local residents and stakeholders in planning and implementation, and provide a portion of funding, often leveraging state funds to attract additional federal or EU support.
This year, six new municipalities have been included in the program. Among them are the Town of Volkmarsen (entirely communal) in the District of Waldeck-Frankenberg, the Municipality of Grasellenbach, with the districts of Litzelbach, Scharbach, Tromm, Wahlen in the District of Bergstraße, the Town of Hünfeld, with the districts of Mackenzell, Großenbach, Michelsrombach, Rückers, Roßbach in the District of Fulda, the Town of Oestrich-Winkel in the district of Hallgarten (District of Rheingau-Taunus), and the Municipality of Wildeck (entirely communal) in the District of Hersfeld-Rotenburg.
With the recognition of these new municipalities, a total of 85 municipalities with 614 districts are currently included in the funding program. The use of the funding is decided on site by a specially established steering group, which includes citizens, ensuring local decision-making.
Minister of Home Affairs Ingmar Jung explains that the program contributes significantly to improving the quality of home regions, strengthening and developing village centers, and promoting rural revitalization. The annual support for village development amounts to €34 million.
For more specific guidelines, project examples, or details on application procedures, interested parties are encouraged to refer to the Ministry’s official program documents or announcements for the respective period.
In this funding program, outdoor-living projects could receive support, such as renovating outdoor pools, as part of the improvement of village centers. Furthermore, lifestyle projects that align with the program's objectives, like creating sustainable homes through private builders, are eligible for funding within the home-and-garden sector.
